


Issues

by CTtheOrangeNinja



Category: Bleach
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anger Management, M/M, Multi, Multiple Personalities, did
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2018-11-29 16:54:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11445063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CTtheOrangeNinja/pseuds/CTtheOrangeNinja





	1. Chapter 1

He hadn't meant to run into the other man. He wasn't really paying attention, he was too focused on suppressing the fury rising inside. These "therapy sessions" were going to be the death of him. He was supposed to be attending them, forced into it by his boss, to handle his "anger issues". _And_ he was supposed to be on time. _And_ he was _late_. So he was rushing, walking as fast as he could, and pushing past everyone in his way. So he didn't notice the other until it was too late.  


"Ah!"  


He turned to see a young man sprawled over the stairs, rubbing at his head slightly where it seemed to have bumped the railing.  
God, if he pressed charges... or some other shit...he just couldn't handle that today, not on top of everything else.  


"Hey are you-" the most brilliant brown eyes he had ever seen opened, "-ok?" he finished lamely. Those eyes were fire. And they were glaring daggers into his soul.  


"Wow, jackass, rude much?" the young man hissed, getting to his feet. "You should learn to pay better attention, Cornflower."  


Grimmjow blinked. _Cornflower? What the hell kinda insult is that?_ He felt a sharp prick of anger and grit his teeth, determined not to lose his cool. "I'm sorry, _Carrot-top_ , I didn't see you, though it's a wonder how I missed ya at all." _Whoops. So much for keeping cool_. He did manage to hold in the growl, though. That was better than usual.  


The other stood, lips forming a bit of a snarl himself before he seemed to come out of a trance, blinking slowly. "Yeah, whatever," the fire seemed to have gone out of him, and Grimmjow stared as the young man walked away without another word. He followed the man's back with his eyes until he was out of sight, wondering why it was that he was so intrigued. A bell tower in the distance chimed, and he shook himself. Belatedly, he remembered his session, and sprinted inside.  


It was not until later that evening that he recalled the young man, and wondered why he was also seeing the psychologist.  


xxx  
"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Running a little late, aren't you?" the woman sitting at the secretary desk smirked, leaning towards him. "Although I guess it's fine, since the doctor wasn't ready on time for you anyway." He could never remember her name, something that started with a 'Y' of all things, because her annoying behavior towards him was too distracting.  


"But he's ready now?" he huffed, diverting his eyes from the woman's form, trying not to think about her prominent cleavage. She was always doing crap like this, despite the fact that he had made it pretty clear he wasn't interested. _Still...a man had needs_...No. Not when she knew that something was 'wrong' with him. No way. He wasn't about to be a pity fuck, even if that wasn't her intention.  


"Yes." she practically purred, flicking her long purple hair over her shoulder. "Dr. Urahara will see you now."  


The bluenette rolled his eyes and entered the office, heading to his usual seat on the couch. The doctor was nowhere in sight, and Grimmjow forced himself to breathe slowly, counting to 50, regaining his control. He couldn't have another episode like last time. He was just reaching 35 when the familiar green-and-white hat entered his field of vision.  


"Grimmjow! How good of you to stop by." Kisuke Urahara. Psychologist and therapist. Probably a psychoanalyst too. He didn't know. He didn't really care. "How are you feeling?"  


"Swell." he muttered, eyes downcast. He just wanted-  


"You're lying again." He looked up to see the doctor peering over the edge of his clipboard at him. "You fidget when you lie." The bluenette frowned and looked down at his hands, where he saw that the doctor was correct, his fingers repeatedly curling and uncurling. He hadn't even noticed he was doing it, nor that it was one of his tells.  


"Ah, you've caught me." he gave an annoyed huff and forced himself to be still, sitting up straighter. "I don't want to be here, Urahara."  


The man sighed, leaning back into his armchair. "We both know that, Grimmjow. But your boss-"  


"My boss can screw himself." he snarled, his voice raising and his fists clenching tightly. "If it weren't for that dirty bastard I would be rising the corporate ladder instead of stuck in the middle." he shot to his feet and bounced on his heels, suddenly aching for a fight.  


"Now, Grimmjow, take it easy. You're here because of your outbursts. Like that one." he came back to himself, blinking at Urahara who had shrunk into the armchair as if he was afraid. _Afraid...of him_. "Just start counting, remember? Whenever you get angry or feel you might get angry, start counting. The end number can vary, but the results will be the same."  


"Sorry." he muttered, running a hand through his hair and sat back down, breathing deep breaths. "It's just, sometimes I don't know how to hold him back and I-"  


"Wait, him?" Kisuke scribbled something on his notes. "Who's 'him'?"  


Suddenly Grimmjow felt embarrassed. He'd never discussed this with anyone, and he-well, he didn't want people thinking he was crazy. Well, _crazier_. "Uh, it's nothing."  


"It is most definitely not 'nothing'. Who is it that you're trying to hold back?"  


He bit his lip. "I call it...Pantera. It's not really a 'him' I guess, but pronouns were always confusing for me and since it's a part of me it's just easier to call it him, since I'm a 'him' you know?" blue eyes glanced up to find the doctor nodding enthusiastically, scribbling away. "So...yeah. Pantera is like, all my instincts. The beast side. I know that most people would be mad about getting passed over for a promotion but they'd be more civil about it after a while. But Pantera? No. He's livid. _Fucking livid_. Because in the animal world, you don't just settle for a weaker, annoying, no-right to have-" he felt himself growling in the back of his throat and quickly started counting. When he opened his eyes again, he found Kisuke smiling at him.  


"See, that's better. You're doing much better." he tipped his hat away from his face and tapped his pen against his clipboard. "Thank you for telling me about Pantera. Do let me know if anything else happens with him."  


Grimmjow took it as a dismissal and stood to leave, muttering his reply. "Sure, doc." He had his hand on the doorknob when the words sank in. "Wait, like what? What would happen with him?"  


Kisuke flashed him a strained smile. "Oh, you know...just anything."  


That did not make him feel any better.  


"Sure, doc." he walked out and shut the door behind him, turning to see the secretary already smirking at him.  


"How'd it go?"  


"Fine." He needed to grab lunch and get back to work. He was wasting time, and therefore wasting money.  


"Aw, Grimmy, you never seem to want-" she squeaked as his hand hit the edge of her desk, hard.  


"I'm not interested," he glanced at her nameplate, "Yoruichi-san. Have a nice day." he paused at the top of the stairs, looking back over his shoulder at her.  


"And _never_ call me that again."  


xxx  
The clock finally ticked to 5:00, and he was the first one up and out the door, ignoring the stares and questions thrown his way by his co-workers. He couldn't stand most of them, and the ones he could...he just didn't want them to get burned by him right now. He was so worked up that he could feel the muscles in his face tensing, ready to snarl.  


_That stupid bastard_.  


He had called in Grimmjow to his office, then proceeded to ask about his sessions. As if it was any of his goddamn business. _But no_. Grimmjow had to sit and smile and play nice or else...  


_Or else what?_   


Well, he'd be back on the streets in no time, he knew that with certainty. No other employer would even think of giving him a job if they heard he'd lost his previous one due to "violent outbursts and audible death-threats." _Not that they would be just audible, no...he would make good on his promises-_  


No. He blinked, shaking himself. He couldn't act like that. He had to keep this job. He had to. Who else was going to take care of his sister? He hurried to the train station, thoughts of his sister racing through his mind.  


He almost didn't see him on the train. The trains were busy all the time, no matter what day or time Grimmjow showed up. It was crowded, as usual, and he was standing, having offered a woman his seat. Jaegerjaquez was raised proper, of course. And when he stood up... well, the flash of orange was hard to miss.  


"Carrot-top?" he murmured in confusion, recalling that he had knocked into the man that morning. As if he had somehow miraculously heard him, the younger man turned, and those eyes...  


They were so bright and full of life. He had never seen such eyes like these. They made him just want to-  


"Cornflower" he mouthed back, smirking slightly at Grimmjow.  


- _punch him in the face._


	2. Chapter 2

 

They were not having a good day. Neither was _he_ , for that matter. It had started with his session, Dr. Urahara calling up some repressed memories that he was only able to focus on for a short while before _he_ pulled out the phone, ignoring the doctor for the rest of the scheduled time. He wasn't happy with _him_. Neither were the rest.

  
And to make it even better, after the session was over, he had been pushed down the stairs by some asshole with the brightest blue hair he'd ever seen. That jackass had then proceeded to insult _his_ hair. Well, to be fair, he did the insulting first, but it wasn't really his fault so...He got on the train and rode out to the university for class, only to be told by a passing T.A. that class had been canceled. So he didn't even have to come at all. _Perfect._ A 30 minute train ride wasted. He knew he should've checked the emails, but no, they didn't want him messing with his phone after that last session, the phone having got them into trouble. God, he hated them on therapy days.

  
He spent the rest of the day in the campus library, working on essays and studying for tests, blocking out the rest of them. It wasn't until later, on the train once again, that Ichigo let them speak.

  
000  
"Uggh, finally, King." Zangetsu whined, pacing around the room. "I thought you were mad enough to shut us out for at least a week, but we all know how well that turned out last time-"

  
"Shut up, Zan." Quincy muttered, turning eyes on Ichigo's materialized form. "Obviously it's your fault that we're in this mess, like always."

  
"My fault?" the pale man blinked incredulously. "You always say it's my fault! What about him, huh?" he pointed towards Ichigo, who sighed and sank further down into the armchair. "It's never his fault!"

  
"Zangetsu." Quincy barked, and the other shrank a little. "You know it's not Ichigo's fault that you break out and cause all sorts of troub-"

  
"Oh would you two just stop bickering for once?!" Tensa snapped, coming out from his room. "You're giving me a headache."

  
Ichigo rolled his eyes, muttering, "You're tellin' me."

  
"What was that, King?" Zangetsu huffed, annoyed. "You bothered by us or somethin'? Why not just banish us then? Just like-" He squeaked as Tensa's hand was suddenly at his throat, and squeezing, hard. Quincy was shooting him death glares, and Ichigo looked pale.

  
"Shut your mouth, freak." Tensa growled, throwing the other to the floor. "You know we don't talk about it."

  
Zangetsu coughed, eyes narrowed. "Sure, but-" he stiffened, suddenly focused on Ichigo, who was staring into the distance.

  
"What?" Quincy asked him, warily.

  
Both Ichigo and Zangetsu grinned, and said simultaneously, "Cornflower."

  
000  
He really wasn't expecting to run into that jackass again, and Ichigo could feel himself getting pumped up for a fight. But not as much as Zan, who was practically gushing with excitement.

  
_~~This should be fun, huh, King.~~ _

  
As he caught the other's bright cerulean eyes, he mouthed "Cornflower," and was thrilled to see the man immediately tense, and grit his teeth.

  
Oh yeah, this was just what he was needing.

  
xxx  
The train came to a grinding halt, and Ichigo didn't even have to glance up to know that it was his stop. He only hoped that-there! Cornflower was exiting the train as well, and Ichigo pushed through the crowd only to find the other man waiting for him, eyes narrowed and foot tapping.

  
Before he could take two steps forward, the other man had stalked up to him and practically bumped into him.

  
"You got a problem with me or something, Carrot-top?" he growled lowly.

  
_Oh god, that voice._

  
Ichigo's eyes widened at the random thought that slipped through, recognizing Quincy's low timbre.

  
He grit his teeth, and cursed internally. _Not now._

  
_~~Yeah! Not now! We're gonna beat the shit out of him, not fuck him.~~ _

  
"Huh?" Ichigo took a step backwards as a finger jabbed into his chest. "I said, you got a problem?"

  
He looked up, eyes flashing amber, and shoved his hands towards the taller man. "Yeah I got a problem, it's called your rude ass pushing me down the stairs and throwing round insults and shit."

  
The other snarled and suddenly Ichigo was nose-to-nose with him, a fist wrapped up in his shirt. "I didn't mean to knock you over, runt." Ichigo's eyes narrowed and he could feel Zan at the edges of his mind, begging to take control. "I even asked if you were okay. Then you go ahead and insult my hair- with 'cornflower'?! That's not even a proper insult."

  
~~_Please, King. I won't kill him, I promise._ ~~

  
_...Fine._

  
"Haaaahhh?!" The tone had shifted entirely, eyes gleamed gold, and the other stumbled back, startled, his grip loosening. "Not a proper insult my ass." He smacked the hand off him and curled his hands into fists, widening his stance. "Your outlandish hair color only makes sense as a flower!"

  
The bluenette looked stunned, obviously confused by the change that has come over the younger man. Then it seemed his own control broke, and hell if they didn't feel a chill run down their spine. The man's face had darkened, and his pupils were like slits. They could feel the fury rolling off him, and it almost seemed like time had stopped.

  
"You little piece of shit." He ducked under the first punch, and brought his knee up to the man's stomach, knocking the breath out of him. The man gasped and fell to the ground, but managed to swing his legs out and bring the younger man down with him. "I'll kill ya-"

  
"Ichigo? Is that you?" It was a girl's voice that hit their ears, and the two froze, finally seeming to become aware of their surroundings. He turned slightly to see one of his classmates looking on in worry. He couldn't seem to recall her name at the moment, that was _Ichigo's_ job...Anyway, the bluenette was still angry, they could tell, but right now they couldn't do anything about it. Not with other people around.

  
Reluctantly, they stood up and Ichigo blinked, amber eyes narrowed down at the man still sitting on the floor. "Keh. You're not even worth my time." He walked away, joining the girl and leaving the other still blinking in the middle of the station. As they reached the stairs, he threw one last look over his shoulder and-

  
He couldn't resist.

  
"See ya around, Cornflower."

  
xxx  
The girl talked non-stop. Seriously, he couldn't get her to shut up. Even when he tried to comment on whatever she was babbling about, she didn't pause long enough for him to get his thought out.

  
"So, uh...Orihime, right?" he asked slowly, and the girl just stared at him. He felt bad for not really knowing her name, but it didn't seem to faze her for long.  
"Yeah, that's me. I'm not surprised you don't know me, even though I sit by you every day in history." _Oh shit really?_ "You never seem to pay attention to anything or anyone besides the professor, so..." she shrugged. "It's ok. Although I have noticed that you seem to have a few friends, like that one guy with the dark hair and the glasses. He's always talking to you."

  
"Ishida? Nah, he just likes to bother me, that's all." _Friends? Ishida? No way. Though I guess that I do count Renji and Rukia...But I have plenty going on in my head without having to worry about friends._

  
**~~ ( _We can hear you, ya know._ ) ~~ **

  
_Shut up._

  
"-igo? Ichigo?" he blinked, suddenly realizing that they had come to a stop and that she was waving her hands in front of his face.

  
"Sorry. I zoned out."

  
"As I was saying, this is where I head off." she pointed right, and Ichigo nodded. "See you in class!"

 

"Right." he watched her bounce off, before continuing his own way. It was getting dark, he must've spent more time fighting that guy than he had realized- he stiffened as a hand clasped his shoulder.

  
"I thought I'd never catch up to you."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok! So when inside Ichigo's head, everyone talks normal. When one personality is in control, each has their own way of "speaking" inside their head. Ichigo is italics. Zangetsu is strikethrough italics. Quincy is underlined italics. Tensa is bold italics. If they all speak at once, it will reflect all of them.


	3. Chapter 3

Blue eyes stared at the other's back, once again watching him just walk away, and once again getting the last word in. He felt the bubbling anger begin to calm as soon as the other was out of sight, and he pushed himself off the floor with a grunt, ignoring the stares from the people around him.

  
Grimmjow had a sinking feeling that they would be seeing a lot of each other. Not that he didn't want to see him, it was just that they were already on bad terms, and had not even been formally introduced yet.

  
Did he want to be formally introduced?

  
It didn't make sense.

  
Here was a guy he had knocked over, who had insulted him, who had picked a fight, and then had actually fought him.

  
And he _wanted_ to see him again? Not only that, but he wanted to be _introduced_?!

  
{Of course, you do.}

  
"What?" he mumbled, looking around him, trying to find who had spoken. But there was no one around him, everyone steering clear of the crazy man with blue hair. He shook his head, thinking he must've fallen harder than he first thought. He walked out of the station, shaking his head and heading towards his apartment.

  
{No, stupid. I'm not out there, I'm here. In your head.}

  
He caught an image of a white panther and his mouth went dry.

  
{Why are you so surprised? You do call me Pantera, no?}

 

He felt a hint of amusement from this "other" and he caught himself before the corners of his own mouth twitched upwards.

  
{What, did you really think I would stay silent for long? Especially after the good doctor warned you? I think not.}

  
_Fine. What do you want?_

  
{It's more like what do you want. You wanted to know why you wanted to see the Orange again, why you wanted to meet him. It's because he has potential.}

  
_Potential for what?_ he growled in his own head.

  
{Why, for mating of course.}

  
Grimmjow spluttered and put a hand out to catch himself as he stumbled. Fortunately there was a telephone pole there, and he leaned against it heavily. _WHAT?!_

  
{He's attractive, he can handle himself, he gets your temper up, what's there not to like?}

 

He felt Pantera smirking, and narrowed his eyes, hurriedly continuing on his walk. He made it home before he stopped to consider what the other had said. "No." he said, flopping onto the couch. "No way I would ever date that Carrot-top."

  
"Who?"

  
"Nel!" he shot up from the couch, a grin breaking out on his face. "I didn't know you were coming over!" he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around his sister.

  
"That's because I didn't tell you, Grimmy." She hugged him back before pulling away and looking up at him. He remembered when he had been the shorter one. It was good to finally be taller. "You didn't tell me you were going to a therapist."

  
_Oh. So that's why she was here. She must think he was crazy too._

  
"Grimmjow. You promised me no more fights at work." Suddenly he felt 6 years old again, getting rebuked by his older sister. The big man sighed and flopped down on the couch, turning on the T.V.

  
"It wasn't a fight, Nelliel." he muttered, flipping channels. "It was just a quarrel."

  
"So a broken nose and two broken fingers counts as a 'quarrel' now?" the woman moved in front of the T.V., blocking his view. "What did he even say, Grimm? You're lucky he didn't press charges and that you weren't fired."

  
"That bastard Tousen fucking called-" he stopped, counting to 10, letting his breathing slow down. Blue eyes met pale olive, and he sighed. "He insulted your honor." It was so much worse than that. The bastard had insinuated that Nel was a whore, in many more words and none of them flattering. He only vaguely recalled the phrase "cum-guzzling fuckhole." That had been when he had stepped in and they had 'quarreled'. He had punched Tousen in the nose, and had caught the other's fist in his hand, providing a little pressure to get him to stop.

  
"My honor?" she sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. "What is this Grimm, the 1800's? You don't have to protect my honor. I'm a grown woman and can take care of that myself." She flopped down on the couch next to him, and hugged him tight. "Thank you. But seriously, no more fights. Just do your therapy nicely and all will work out."

  
"Fine." he grumbled, finally settling on a movie for them to watch. They were about halfway through when he realized something didn't add up. "How did you know about my fights and my therapy sessions?" he hadn't told her and he knew that his boss would never contact her.

  
"Oh, Yoruichi told me," she mumbled before dozing off, leaning against his shoulder.

  
_That slimy bitch._

  
He finished the movie, and ended up carrying Nel to his bed and tucking her in, resigning himself to sleep on the couch. Before he dozed off, he checked his emails and jolted straight up.

 

_Mr. Jagerjaquez_

  
I had really hoped that those therapy sessions were working. I've contacted the good doctor to let him know your sessions have been extended from the required 10 to however many the doctor sees fit, meaning until there is noticeable improvement in your behavior both in and outside of the office. See you on Monday.

  
_Aizen Sosuke._

 

Teeth clenched together and the man inhaled deeply, forcing himself to count. He counted, and he counted, and he counted, eventually counting himself to sleep.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
 _White sands all around him. The landscape seemed vaguely familiar, but he was sure he'd never been anywhere like this before in his life. He took a few steps forward and stopped dead in his tracks, sensing danger._

  
_He turned, and his eyes locked with a pair of teal eyes with slit black pupils. It was the panther._   
_"You've been shutting me out for so long, did you really think I wouldn't jump at the chance to take control?" the gravely voice hit his ears, and the big man tensed. "Well, you thought wrong."_

  
_The panther leapt, claws outstretched, and the bluenette barely had time to dodge before--_

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"Grimm! It's nearly time for your session!"


	4. Chapter 4

"I thought I'd never catch up to you."

They didn't recognize the voice. It was a man's, and the tenor had a smooth suave quality to it, but the underlying tone had them unsettled. It would have been sexy, maybe, in a different setting. The hand on thier shoulder was gripping tightly, and Zan's protective instinct switched on, taking over from Ichigo. His eyes were golden, and they were wary. He pulled out from the other's grasp and turned to face him. The man was taller than Ichigo, but not as tall as Cornflower. Maybe 6 ft, whearas Cornflower appeared to be 6'1, and Ichigo was only 5'9. He had wavy brown hair and wore glasses, and from his appearance didn't seem like much of a threat. It was his presence that worried Zangetsu.

"Can I help you, sir." Zan forced out, gritting his teeth. He did not want anything to do with this guy.

"Ah yes. You see, I witnessed your little spat in the train station and I-"

"Sorry, not interested in joining a gang or fight club." he cut the man off, turning to walk away again.

"No, that's not what I was going to say." the man stepped in front of them, smiling slightly. Zan felt his hackles rise. "I was just going to apologize on behalf of my employee."

**_ (Employee?) _ **

A shift, and his eyes were darker, confident and calculating. "Employee?" Quincy asked, cocking his head to the side. "That blue-haired man works for you?"

"Yes." the man sighed. "I'm sorry he gave you so much trouble. We're working on that. Please, do feel free to contact me if you ever need anything or get into trouble with Grimmjow again." he held out a business card, and they took it, not even glancing down to look at it. He was sure he wouldn't need it anyway. He could take care of himself. Still, it was the polite thing to do.

"Sure." Quincy frowned, "Mr..."

"Aizen." the man tilted his head. "Aizen Sosuke, of Las Noches Incorporated."

Thier eyes widened, and Ichigo took a step forward. "Really? Las Noches Inc? THE Las Noches-the video game design company? I'm studying computer science at the university myself and I've alawys-" He let out a gasp, as reality hit him. "Then you're the new owner that bought them out? I've heard so much-"

"Yes, yes." Aizen smiled, shoving his hands towards his pockets. "I'd rather not discuss the topic. It's still a bit of a shock to most."

Ichigo nodded, blushing, and tucked the card inside his wallet. "Of course, sorry."

The man hesitated, seeming to be thinking about something, and Ichigo bit his lip."You know, we at Las Noches are always looking for fresh talent. Give me a call sometime, I'll see if I can set you up with an internship or something." he smiled, and Ichigo nodded, finding himself smiling back. "Have a good day, Mr-?"

"Oh." Ichigo flushed, realizing that he had asked the other's name but had not given his own. "Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Good day, Mr. Kurosaki."

They watched the man walk off and as soon as he was out of sight, Ichigo let out a loud whoop. "Alright! I can't believe I just met the new owner of Las Noches! I might actually have a shot at a career!"

000

"Cool, it Ichigo." Tensa muttered, shaking his head. "You just met the man, and only because you got in a fight with one of his employees. He's not offering you a full-time position or anything."

Ichigo nodded, still grinning from ear-to-ear. At least, til Zangetsu spoke up.

"Yeah, yeah, big fuckin' deal." Zan spat, glaring. "Why the fuck did you wrench away control, Quincy? Huh?! That guy was dangerous."

"No, Aizen was very courteous to us." the older man argued. "He didn't have to chase us down."

"So why the fuck did he?! Huh?!" the white-haired alter glanced back and forth around the room. No one would meet his eyes. "No one thinks it's weird he followed us halfway home?! No one wants to know why he felt it was so important to apologize?!"

Ichigo shrugged. "He just wants to uphold his company's reputation."

"Or maybe it's just the simple fact that he has better manners than you." Quincy muttered. "Everyone knows you're just a psycho-path."

Zangetsu stiffened. "So that's how it is, huh?" he clenched his fists. "Everyone knows? FINE. Then surely everyone knows that I'M the one who's been protectin' King! I'm the one who always alerts him to what's up! But FINE. You won't listen, and since it's obvious I'm _just_ a psycho-path, then I'll just LEAVE." he stormed out of the central room, headed to his own, and the sound of the door slamming shut echoed within Ichigo's mind.

The remaining three stared at each other in shock, before Tensa sighed. "Let's just get home."

000

He opened the door to his apartment, and flicked on the lights. It was fairly tidy, Quincy usually freaked out if it wasn't, so it was kept in order. Ichigo ran a hand through his hair and sighed. It was quiet without Zan. He was used to his alters always buzzing around inside his head or taking over when he got tired or the situation required them to. But now his loudest, most vibrant alter had gone silent. It was unsettling. He decided to drown out his thoughts with a nice, hot shower.

He stepped into the shower and turned the faucet on. He couldn't remember what life was like before them. Oh, he knew that he wasn't born with them. They had appeared not long after...he shut his eyes tight and forced himself to relax, washing his hair slowly. But he couldn't remember what his mind had been like before-those memories had been shoved aside, making space for his new personalities and everything associated with them.

Quincy didn't appear quickly, not really. He was developed over a period of time, Ichigo learning more and more about him during those first few months. He was the 'oldest' personality, somewhat more mature than the others, overall calm and collected. His rational way of thinking had Ichigo relying on him heavily.

Zangestsu was next, causing trouble the second he had appeared. He was Ichigo's opposite in almost every way: encouraging violence, drugs, sex. The teenage years were made incredibly more difficult with Zan urging him to try everything he could possibly think of. He didn't give in, which made the white-haired alter incredibly frustrated. But despite his flaws, Zangetsu kept Ichigo safe: always alert and ready to do his job.

Tensa was last. Ichigo didn't really know where he came from. One day he was just there. He was serious. He thought things through. He would often be the final say in decision-making. He acted as judge and tie-breaker. He kept the peace between Zangetsu and Quincy. He was necessary, but he rarely took control. Only when no other could handle it.

And then there was the Basement. He kept everything locked up in there: fears and memories, and...that One.

There was a reason they didn't talk about that One.

Ichigo sighed, drying himself off and heading to bed. The next day would be Saturday-no classes. He couldn't bring himself to study tonight, not after all that he went through today. No, he would just study tomorrow after his session.

xxx

The night went by without anything major happening. No nightmares, no shifts, nothing. The most exciting part was when Ichigo woke up and went to the bathroom.

He sighed and got dressed, the absence of Zan still bothering him. He didn't think the wild spirit would abandon him completely, not if Ichigo needed him, Zangetsu was too protective to let anything major happen to his King.

Or, he hoped so, anyway.

Ichigo locked up the apartment and shoved his keys into his pocket, walking to Urahara's office. He was lucky the man worked so close-and the fact that the office doubled as the man's home was an even greater blessing. There were times when Ichigo needed to see him- times when the office was closed. He was also lucky that the doctor was practically family, and was always there when Ichigo needed him.

He climbed the steps up to the door slowly, and had just put his hand on the handle when it was wrenched out from underneath him, causing him to fall forward. He cursed, shutting his eyes tight and bracing for impact. However, instead of hitting the concrete floor, he had landed on top of someone. He opened his amber eyes slowly and paled.

"Hello there, _Carrot-top_."

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

Nel laughed as he scrambled around the apartment, throwing on clothes and straightening his hair. He shot her a murderous look and sprinted out the door, heading to the train station and hopping on at the last moment. It wouldn't do for him to be late two days in a row, not at all.

Grimmjow made his way up the stairs, eyes watching for a certain orange-haired man and fortunately not running into him before his session. Yoiruichi grinned at him as he huffed and puffed at the top of the landing, and motioned towards the door. "You're early today, Mr. Jagerjaquez. I don't think he's even come downstairs yet." She logged into her computer, then frowned at her emails. "Did you--how late were you up last night?" she asked, eyeing him curiously.

"What? Since when does my personal life become your business?" he growled, leaning against the far wall. "I fail to see how my sleeping habits are of any interest to you."

"No, it's not that, it's just...Nel told me she was visiting this weekend, and you're not spending time with her? Seems like a waste to me." The woman looked puzzled, but all he could feel was a prick of annoyance at the nosy secretary's acquaintance with his sister. "It's a little odd that you scheduled a session so late last night-er, early this morning, that's all, if you were planning to spend time with her. I'm sure that she got to your place safely, and that you saw her, so it couldn't have been that you didn't know she was in town."

"..." Grimmjow blinked, confused. " _I_ scheduled this session?"

Yoiruichi nodded, her gaze darkening. "The email was received at 3:30 am this morning. Kisuke was still up trying to get things ready for the shop today-usually he doesn't take clients on the weekends, but from this email, you made it sound urgent. He sent back to you a confirmation to which you replied, 'Great, thanks, see you then' at 3:45 am." She brushed her hair back and looked up at him, eyes widening. "You don't remember-?"

"All I know is that Nel woke me up this morning, saying it was almost time for my session." he was pale, cerulean eyes narrowed in confusion. He remembered going to sleep on the couch after the movie, and checking his emails. He didn't remember anything about scheduling a session. He was about to go into full on panic mode when a hand laid on his arm.

"Hey." He looked up, startled. "It'll be ok." The secretary gave a him a small smile. "Whatever it is Kisuke's helping you with, he'll figure it out. He always does." she smiled softly to herself. She patted him on the arm and returned to her desk, before motioning him towards the office door. "Just trust him, ok?"

The blue-haired man nodded, entering the office and taking a minute to steady his breathing before taking his usual seat on the couch. He knew that Urahara lived and worked in the same building- the first floor was some sort of shop that was only open on the weekends, selling candy and comic books, the second floor was where all therapy sessions took place, and the third floor was off-limits: the man's home.

But what he couldn't figure out was driving him crazy. Who had sent the email? He knew for a fact that he hadn't done it--he had been asleep from 1:00 am til 7:00 this morning. Could it have been Nel? Was she that worried about him that she would use his email to contact his therapist? No, Grimmjow didn't think she would have done something like that. Besides, she had fallen into a deep sleep so early on in the evening that he was sure she wouldn't have been up for it. Did he get hacked? His stomach sank as he thought of the process it would take to recover any missing information--

{ Don't get yourself all worked up. It was me.}

The bluenette froze, the panther stalking through his mind at an almost deceivingly leisurely pace.

{ Since I spoke to you yesterday, I figured it high time to be able to speak to the doctor myself.}

_No-_

_He gasped as suddenly he was thrown downwards. All around him it was dark, and underneath him it looked like white sands. Blue eyes widened as he recalled his dream. Then a sound made him look up, and it was as if he was just a passenger in his own body. It moved on its own, spoke words he had no control over, and he had never felt so helpless before. He collapsed to the sand and watched the scene lay out before him._

"So, your boss contacted me yesterday." Urahara said softly, stepping out from a side-door that he hadn't noticed before.

Pantera grit his teeth, cursing, remembering Aizen's email. "Shitty bastard is just causing me more grief and rubbing it in my face."

"Now, don't be like that. It just means we get to become even better friends."

"Friends? Why, we've never even met." He chuckled, pupils narrowed to slits and baritone purring.

_Grimmjow blinked as he saw Urahara throw out a hand to catch himself-- So there was an actual noticeable difference between him and Pantera? Weird._

"You-you're not Grimmjow, are you?" Kisuke asked slowly, steadying himself and coming to sit in his armchair next to the couch.

"No. I'm not. I am Pantera."

"Ah. Pantera. I see." Kisuke scribbled down on his notebook. "It's nice to meet you, Pantera. Grimmjow was only just telling me of you yesterday. Have you been around for very long?"

The grin widened. "Long? I've been with the cub since he was born. He just wasn't aware of me 'til a few years ago."

_He clutched at the grains of sand, not believing his own ears-his own words, even._

"And why is that, Pantera?" the therapist leaned back, eyeing him carefully.

"I knew it would freak him out too much. Cub's a bit on the... how would you phrase it...skeptical side." Pantera chuckled and rolled his eyes. "He still didn't want to believe in me, even when he knew I was there."

Urahara frowned, "So when did you show yourself to Grimmjow?"

"Like I said, a few years ago. Time is a hard concept to grasp when you're prowling endlessly on the white sands. I 'showed myself' in the cub's first real battle. Bar fight. Guys all over him. I had to do something or else we'd both be dead. So I did." He smirked, eyes narrowed. "But the first time I spoke was yesterday, and the first time I took over his body while he was conscious was this morning."

_He remembered that fight. It was around 6 years ago, on his 21st birthday. He'd gotten shit-faced drunk, and had somehow managed to piss off a biker gang. There were about 15 guys beating the shit of him. Then suddenly something had clicked into place, he had blacked out, and when he'd awoken he'd found that he had fought them all off. He didn't win that fight, not really, but he had managed to survive without too much damage. Nel had scolded him while bandaging his knuckles. So that was Pantera's purpose? To keep him safe? Or was it just an outlet for his instincts?_

"So Pantera, you probably know why Grimmjow has to come to these sessions, correct?" The panther nodded, lip curling. "What are your thoughts on Aizen and did you instigate the fight with Tousen?"

"..." The panther sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Aizen is a fucking bastard. There's something awfully shady about him and the way he just bought out the company without any warning." He growled lowly in his throat. "As for Tousen, I can't stand the guy. He was one of two workers Aizen brought into the company, and the position granted to Tousen was one that had been lined up for Grimmjow's promotion. I didn't 'instigate' the fight with the dick though. He called that upon himself when he insulted Nel."

"Grimmjow's sister."

"Yeah." he huffed, crossing his arms. "Grimmjow started that fight himself, and I just... added my fuel to the fire, so to say."

Kisuke nodded and scribbled down a few more notes before setting the clipboard aside. "Well, is there anything else you want me to know right now, Pantera?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Just wanted to speak with you myself, you know?" he chuckled and closed his eyes. "If we're done then, I'll let Grimmjow back."

"Alright."

_He felt a sensation that he could only compare to a jet taking off._

"Grimmjow?" he heard Kisuke ask, and he winced at how much louder everything was now that he was back in control.

"Yeah, it-it's me." he opened his eyes to see the doctor leaning over him in worry, and he smiled slightly. "I'm ok, Doc."

Urahara nodded. "I'm sure you'll get used to it if Pantera decides to ever do this again."

He grimaced and shook his head. "I sure hope not. It was unsettling."

"Right." the therapist glanced at his watch and his eyes widened. "Sorry to cut this short, Grimmjow, but I have another client on the way and I do still need to open up shop today."

The bluenette nodded and thanked the man for his time, before heading outside. He passed Yoiruichi without a word and made his way to the front door. He was pulling it open when suddenly a flash of orange and a weight pressed him into the floor. He gasped, the breath knocked out of him, and looked down to see the annoying punk from yesterday laying on top of him. Then the man's eyes opened, and Grimmjow smirked to see the man pale.

"Hello there, _Carrot-top_."

**Author's Note:**

> ...
> 
> Hi.
> 
> I'm posting this here, can be found on ffnet as well.
> 
> I'm not that great at tags yet, so if y'all see something/want me to tag it, let me know.


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